Auld Lang Syne
by Stars137
Summary: Remus and Cassie spend a very somber New Year's Eve together after Halloween 1981. Brief one-shot set before the events of Toujours.


Auld Lang Syne

_"Three, two, one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The lavishly decorated sitting room exploded with cheers and laughter as wizard crackers exploded in the air. James swept Lily up into his arms and kissed her rather passionately as their friends whistled and catcalled. "Get a room will you!" Cassie shouted over the din, tossing the pointed witch's hat topped with a stuffed vulture that had tumbled from her exploded cracker at the happy couple. James merely laughed and swept the rather ugly hat atop his head while Lily blushed furiously. _

_Unnoticed amidst the celebration, Sirius reached out and took Remus's hand beneath the table where they were sitting. He gave Remus's fingers a gentle squeeze which the lycanthrope eagerly returned though he was terrified someone was going to see. "Happy New Year love," Sirius said so softly that were it not for his wolf sensitive hearing, Remus would not have heard him. Remus felt his heart soar with joy even as he blushed furiously; praying anyone who noticed simply thought he'd had one too many firewhiskeys. "Happy New Year Sirius, I love you," he whispered hurriedly. _

_Sirius smiled softly, lovingly. "I love you too Moony."_

The flickering embers of the dying fire provided just enough light for Remus to see the oversized watch clinging to Cassie's bandaged wrist in the near darkness of the sitting room. One minute to midnight. It would be their first New Year's Eve without Lily, James, Peter, and Sirius. Alexis had gone to bed hours ago, he was too young to really enjoy New Years(not that they were anyway) and the two them had been sitting in silence for the last fifteen minutes. Lily and James should have been there, kissing as they watched the Muggle celebrations on Lily's telly.

Peter should have been there; telling about the new bird in his life he was certain was 'the one'. Cassie and Dylan should have been singing that old Irish song that only they really knew the words to when the clock struck midnight. Sirius should have been there to take Remus in his arms and kiss him long and hard when the others had gone. The rest of the wizarding world was rejoicing the dawning of a new year without the terror of Lord Voldemort while their one year old savior was facing a lifetime without the love of his parents. The deaths of hundreds had saved the lives of thousands but no one gave a second thought to them or the ones they had left behind.

"It's nearly midnight," Cassie said softly, her voice horse from the long silence. Remus made a sound of acknowledgement but didn't respond. He almost asked her to sing. She has a beautiful voice and he had always loved listening to her sing, everyone had. He wondered if she'd ever sing again.

"Ten!"_ the close knit group in Sirius's living room shouted joyfully a year ago tonight._ "Nine!" _Frank wrapped an arm around his beaming wife's shoulders and pulled her close._ "Eight!" _The Prewett twins clanged the goblets together loudly, spilling a large amount of mead onto the rug._

"Seven!" _Marlene laughed and shook her head, leaning up to kiss Fabian on the cheek._ "Six!" _Mad-Eye glared at the group in annoyance, mumbling about "lax security" and "bloody morons" as he drank from his hip flask though he chuckled briefly when his daughter leaned up to kiss his cheek._ "Five!" _Peter's wizard cracker exploded in his face with a bang as his current girlfriend giggled drunkenly. _

"Four!" _Dylan Moody threw her head back and laughed at something Cassie had said._ "Three!"_ The four Marauders raised their goblets in a toast to friendship through thick and thin._ "Two!"

_Lily and Alice were laughing and swapping stories about their sons while their husbands bragged loudly._ "One!" _Sirius embraced Remus like a brother, whispering words of love and promises for the New Year before they drew apart. The flat exploded with a collective "Happy New Year!" as Cassie and Dylan began to sing._ Fireworks exploded outside and lit up the night sky as Cassie's watch struck midnight.

"Happy New Year Remus," Cassie said softly. "Happy New Year Cassie," he replied quietly. In a movement as fluid and effortless as that of a ballet dancer, Cassie closed the distance between them and settled against the lycanthrope's side. She was little more than fragile bones covered by a thin layer of papery skin. Feeling suddenly fiercely protective, he draped an arm around her bony shoulders and hugged her close.

He felt rather saw her weak smile. Cassie took Remus's hand in hers, gripping it tightly. Remus clung to the fragile fingers entwined with his own like a lifeline.

_For auld lang syne, my dear. . . .  
_


End file.
